The Cherished Wife by Chweety

"Nelly, love doesn't always last forever," Charles said, his voice heavy with the weight of reality. Clearly, he meant that this was someone else's drama, and even though Tania was his sister, there was not much he could do. It was up to those involved to figure it out. Noelle got it and held onto Charles's hand as if it were her lifeline. "Charles, swear to me that no matter what goes down in the future, you won't ever leave me hanging." The fear of being betrayed was still ever-real for her. Once was enough for a lifetime. She knew she

could not handle going through that again.

"I'll never let you go, unless you let me go first," Charles said, gripping Noelle's hand firmly. "Promises might not always hold up, but I intend to keep all of mine to you. No exceptions."

Noelle nodded, her eyes shining. "I love you, Charles!"

"I love you too!" He kissed her gently on the forehead, smoothing away the tiny wrinkle there with his thumb. "Anything else on your mind?"

She nodded again. "Liliana."

over Charles's face, and his grip on her hand grew tighter. "She's the other sister I mentioned

from Steven's. She's the Hoffman family's secret from a mistake my dad made back in his younger days." Charles let out a weary sigh. "She doesn't really fit in with the Hoffman family, and she's not right for Sean either." Noelle bit her lip. "So, she and Sean split

mix-up. They just

then? Where did she go? Did she

in on her story later,

don't bring up Liliana around Sean, okay? He'll flip out if you do!" Charles said as he ushered Noelle towards the changing room. "I've got a private dressing area

your outfit should be

set."

thoughts of Steven and Liliana to the back of her mind as she followed Charles into the

gear. Try